BICOL, LEGAZPI – The Department of Trade and Industry Secretary Fred Pascual, together with other cabinet secretaries joined President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. during the “Situation Briefing on Mayon Volcano Activity” at the Albay Astrodome, Legazpi City on June 14, 2023.    

Local Chief Executives of the nine (9) affected cities/municipalities, regional directors, heads, and other officials of some national government agencies were present during the briefing.  The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), Department of Agriculture (DA), Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), Department of Health (DOH), Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), Department of National Defense-Office of Civil Defense (DND-OCD), Department of Science and Technology-Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (DOST-PHIVOLCS), and the Governor of Albay reported their respective office’  initiatives, assistances and plans on how they can deliver their services and give  immediate support to the affected families/communities, considering Mayon Volcano’s unrest.   

After the briefing, President Marcos, Jr. and DOLE Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma turned-over DOLE’s TUPAD assistance in the amount of PhP50M to the local chief executives of the cities/municipalities affected by the volcanic activity.  

DTI, on the other hand, is going to hold Diskwento Caravans in evacuation centers so that affected families have access to basic necessities and prime commodities at discounted prices.  Meanwhile, the team of DTI Albay Provincial Office is still in the process of profiling the evacuees and likewise, assessing their skills to determine what particular intervention and assistance these evacuees need.*

Date of release: 20 June 2023